The Queen is on track to appoint her 14th Prime Minister as Theresa May announces she will not stay on as PM during the next phase of Brexit negotiations.
Mrs May made the revelation during a meeting of Conservative MPs on Wednesday evening.
If she does indeed resign, it is highly likely a new Prime Minister will have been appointed by October at the latest.
During The Queen’s reign, 13 Prime Ministers have been in office: Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Holme, Harold Wilson, Ted Heath, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and incumbent Theresa May.
As of yet, no timetable for Mrs May’s departure has been announced, and in her speech, she refused to set a date.
Some likely front runners to become the next Conservative Party Leader include the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, David Lidington, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
In her speech to MPs, Mrs May said: “I know there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership – in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations – and I won’t stand in the way of that.
“I know some people are worried that if you vote for the Withdrawal Agreement, I will take that as a mandate to rush on into phase two without the debate we need to have. I won’t – I hear what you are saying.
“I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party.”
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